Closely Knit in Scarlatt: A Novel of Suspense

Olive is the most unlikely of secret agents, a professional assassin in her sixties who's known only as "The Knit Lady." She begins her trade by killing the Italian mobster who'd cheated her late husband, and then is quietly recruited by "The Brokers." Now she's hired to kidnap and kill retired British agent Benjamin Scarlatt. But The Knit Lady has scruples, and when an Islamic terrorist group takes control of the cruise ship on which both she and Scarlatt are traveling, she decides to fight back, with knitting needle, scalpel - and plastic explosives.

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Publisher's Summary

Olive is the most unlikely of secret agents, a professional assassin in her sixties who's known only as "The Knit Lady." She begins her trade by killing the Italian mobster who'd cheated her late husband, and then is quietly recruited by "The Brokers." Now she's hired to kidnap and kill retired British agent Benjamin Scarlatt. But The Knit Lady has scruples, and when an Islamic terrorist group takes control of the cruise ship on which both she and Scarlatt are traveling, she decides to fight back, with knitting needle, scalpel - and plastic explosives. Don't underestimate Little Old Ladies - they're the most dangerous ones of all!

Olive Rienzi is sixtyish, a widow, a craftswoman, a cleaning lady--and a mysterious and scrupulous international assassin.

The author, in a prologue, talks about the genesis of the novel from her noticing that as she aged she became less visible--and realized that invisibility had a lot of potential.

I gave this a four-star rating for the humor in this story. As I listened to Olive's adventures and judged them preposterous, I kept thinking that many a time I have bought even more ludicrous exploits when performed by young and tough heroes and heroines--and it made me laugh. Olive is old, tough, competent and nobody's fool. She is quite capable, thank you very much, of taking care of herself, and others as necessary.

Most titles involving knitters (crocheters, quilters, cooks, etc.) are cute and cozy, focusing on female bonding. Olive is a refreshing change from this; she is a loner amid a cast of spies, assassins, miscreants and shadowy cabals and they underestimate her at their peril:) and I very much enjoyed her tale. Watch out for the pointy sticks! :)

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